Rock-drilling engine



- LSEZEM c. A. HULQUIST ROCK DRILLING ENGINE @ea 2, w24l Filed Jan. 5, X921 3 Sheets-Sheet l Dec. Z, 1924. 1,517,52

' v c. A. HULQUlsT ROCK DRILLI NG ENGINE Filed Jan. 1921 s sheets-sheet 2 EWEEZ C. A. HULQUIST ROCK DRILLING ENGINE y Een. 2

Filed Jan. 5. 192] 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patent Dec. 2, lggd.

ROCK-DRILLING ENGINE.

Application led January 3, 1921. Serial No. 434,515.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES A. HUL- QUIs'r, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles, State of California, have invented certain new and vuseful Improvements in Rock-Drilling Engines, of which the following is a specification. l

This invention pertains more particularly to the mechanism which causes rotation of the drill steel, and an object of the invention is to facilitate beginning of the drilling of the hole.

With present constructions of rock drilling engines, in starting the operation of drilling a. hole, the point of the feed piston rod, if the machine be of the stoping type, is set against the floor, land the machine is held upright and the compressed fluid is admitted to the feed cylinder to cause the body of the machine to rise until the end of the drill steel presses against the rock at the point to be drilled. The hammer is then started into operation and ,the reciprocation of the hammer produces rotation of the drill steel in the usual manner of operation of these machines. The surface with which the drill steel contacts is more or less uneven and, consequently, the rotating steel catches the projections and, before the drill can start the hole, it is forced to one side and travels over the surface of the rock, thus making it very diicult, if not impossible, to begin the drilling operation.

An object of this invention is to avoid the foregoing ditliculty, and to e'ect this Iprovide a construction which permits of the operator throwing the rotation mechanism out of gear and in gear, at will, so that upon initial operation of the hammer the drill steel may be driven into the rocka short distance by the hammer blows without any turning movement being transmitted to the drill steel.

The invention may be embodied in various forms, of which two are illustrated and will be hereinafter described in detail, In the drawings, the invention is embodied ina stoping machine, but it is to be understood that it may be embodied in other types of drilling engines, if 'so desired by the constructor.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention:

Fi re 1 is a longitudinal view of a rock drilling engine enibodying the invention,

portions of the drill steel, feed cylinder and feed iston being broken away to contract the view.

Figure 2 is a plan view mainly in section on the line indicated by '2-m2, Figure 1.

Figure' 3 is a sectional elevation on line indicated by 3-3, Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a sectional elevation on line indicated by :vt-, Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a fragmental longitudinal section of a modified form of the invention.

Figure Gfis 4a sectional elevation on line indicated by m-", Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a sectional elevation on line indicated by 'f-zv7, Figure 5.

The feed cylinder of this machine is indicated at 1 and the feed piston rod at 2, and itis to be understood that these two elements may be omitted, if desired, as the invention may be embodied in other types of rock drilling engines than the stoplng type illustrated. The feed cylinder 1 is mounted upon one of the cylinder heads 3, the other cylinder head being shown at 4 or 4. rlhe cylinder heads 3, 4 close the ends of the cylinder 5 in which a hammer 6 operates. The forward end of the hammer 6 enters a chuck 7 into which projects thedrill steel employed in operating upon the rock, said drill steel being indicated at 8. The hammer 6 may operate directly ,againsty the head of ythe drill steel, in a manner well understood in this art, or an anvil 9 may be interposed between the hammer and the drill steel head, as shown in Figure 2 of the drawings.

Means are provided to prevent relative rotation between the hammer 6 and the chuck 7 so that if the hammer be turned the chuck will also' turn; and, in this instance, such means embody longitudinal flutes 10 in the hammer co-operating with lon itudinal tongues 11 projecting inwardly 'rom the chuck. 0f course, the utes and tongues could be interchanged, that is to say, the flutes could be provided in the chuck and the tongues on the hammer, there being no patentable distinction between these two different ways of preventing relative rotation ofthe hammer and chuck. The utes and tongues may be of any desired number, there being more shown in the form of the invention illustrated in Fi ures 1 to 4.- than in the form of the invention illustrated in Fi res 5 tqa 7.

leans are provided to hold the chuck 7 against turning, when it is not desirable to rotate the drill steel, and various constructions may be devised for accomplishing this. `In this particular instance, the locking of the chuck against rotation .1s effected by the provision of notches 12 ^1n the periphery of the chuck, any one of which is adapted to be engaged by a pawl or detent 13 pivotally mounted at 14 in a chuck-holding barrel 15 that is connected by bolts 16, or other suitable means, to the feed cylinder 1. Thepivot 14 projects through an opening 17 in the barrel 15 and the outer projecting end of said pivot is provided with a handle 18 whereby the pawl 13 may be thrown into and out of engagement with any one of the notches 12.

It may be desirable to latch the pawl 13 in chuck-locking position and also out of chuck-locking position and, in this instance, to eli'ect this the pivot 14 is provided in its periphery with notches 19 adapted to be selectively engaged by a pin 20 yi-eldingly held toward the pivot 14 by a spring 21. Sufiicient force applied to the handle 18 will cause retraction of the pin 20, the spring 21 merely acting to yieldmgly hold the pawl13, either `in position to engage the chuck or in such position that it is free from engagement with the chuck.

The construction hereinbefore described is the same for both forms of the invention illustrated in the drawings, and those features which are peculiar to the form of the invention shown in Figures 1 to 4, inclusive, will now be described. In this form, the well-known rifle bar is employed, such riie bar being shown at 22 projecting into a recess 23 in the hammer 6, as said hammer moves to and fro. In this instance, the hammer lits and slides over the rifle bar. One end of the rifle bar 22 is co-operatively connected with a tubular member or ring 24 which may be held stationary, when desired, so as to hold the rifle bar against turning when the hammer moves in one direction and so as to permit the rifle bar to be turned by the hammer when said hammer moves in the opposite direction.

Although any suitable means may be provided for holding the rifle bar against turning when the hammer moves in one direction and to permit its turning when the hammer moves in the opposite direction, I have shown the well-known pawl and ratchet construction. In this instance, the pawls 25 are mounted in the rifle bar 22 and the inner face of the member 24 is provided with ratchet teeth 26, but it is obvious `that this construction could be reversed without invention. The pawls 25 are engaged by pins 27 which are pressed outwardly by springs 28so as to hold the pawls in engagement with the ratchet teeth.

Various constructions may be employed for releasably holding the tubular member 24 against yrotation so that the ratchet mechanism will operate, when the hammer reciprocates, to give the chuck an intermittent rotation. There is no need of illustrating and describing all of the different forms of locking mechanism which may be employed in connection with the member 24, but for this purpose, in this instance, I provide notches 29 in the periphery of the member 24 and a pawl 30 adapted to engage in any one of said notches. The pawl 30 is yieldingly held toward the member 24 by a pin 31 urged inwardly by a spring 32.l

The pawl is pivoted at 33 in the member 3 which is provided with a chamber 34 to house the member 24 and the pawl-carrying portion of the riiie bar 22. The pivot 33 projects through an opening 35 in the head 3 and the projecting end is provided with a handle 36 whereby the pawl 30 may be thrown into or out of engagement with any one of the notches 29.

In order that the operator need not retain hold of the handle 36 to hold the pawl 30 out of engagement with the member 24 and also in order to further insure that the pawl 30 will be securely held in engagement with the member 24 when so operated, the periphery of the pivot 33 is provided with notches 37 adapted to be engaged by a pin 38 urged toward the pivot 33 by a spring 39. The notches 37 are so positioned with reference to the pin 38 that said pin engages one of the notches 37 when the pawl 30 engages the member 24, and the pin 38 engages the other notch 37 when the pawl is disen aged from the member 24.

.It wil now appear that, in operating the machine shown in Figures 1 to 4 of the drawings, the pawl 30 will be disengaged from the member 24 so as to permit said member to turn, and the pawl 13 will be thrown into engagement with the chuck 7 to locksaid chuck against rotation. As the hammer 6 is reciprocated in the usual operation of the machine, in a manner well understood in this art, the hammer will be held against rotation' by the chuck which itself is locked, as just described, but the rifle bar 22 will be turned first in one direction and then in the other, since the member 24 is not locked to the head 3.

As soon as the hole has been drilled to a sufficient depth to prevent the. drill steel from moving laterally out of drilling position on the surface of the rock being` operated upon, the operator will throw the pawl 13 out of engagement with the chuck7 to permit said chuck to rotate, and he will throw the pawl 30 into engagement with the member 24 to lock said member against rotation, whereupon the awls;25 will slip over the ratchet teeth 26 1n the customary man ner when the hammer moves in one direction and will be held against rotation by the. member 24 when the hammer moves in the opposite direction, thus rotating the hammer which, in turn, rotates the chuck and with it the drill steel 8,. \r Now referring more particularly to- Figures 5 to 7 inclusive of the drawings, for the construction peculiar to the modified form of the invention, the forward portion of the hammer 6 is provided with flutes 40 extending diagonally with reference to the axis of thehammer, after the manner of the flutes in the rifle .bar 22. These flutes are engaged by tongues 4l projecting from a tubular rifle member 42 The rifle member 42 is rotatably mounted inside of a tubular member or ring 43 which, in turn, is rotatably mounted inside of the cylinder head 4 that is provided with a chamber 44 to house the members 42, 43.

Co-operating means are provided ony the members 42, 43 for causing the hammer 6 to turn when moved in one direction and for holding said hammer against turning when said hammer is moved in the opposite direction. Such means may be of any suitable construction and, in this instance, l employ the 4well-known pawl and ratchet construction, the pawls 45 being mounted in the rifle member 42 and the ratchet teeth 46 .I being formed in the inner face of the mempawls may be mounted in the member 43` eef ber 43. It is obvious that, it desired, the

and the teeth formed in the rifle member 42 without departure from the invention. 'lhe pawls 45 are engaged byv pins 47 urged outwardly by springs 48 to yieldingly 'hold the pawls 45 in engagement with the member 43.

Unless otherwise prevented, the tubular member 43 can rotate relative to the head 4' and, to effect the objects of this invention, any suitable means may be provided for releasably locking the member 43 to the head l 4. In this particular instance, the locking means for the member 43 comprise notches 49 in the peripher of the member 43 engageable by a pawl7 50 pivoted lat 51 in the head y4. rlhe pivot 5l projects through an opening 52 in the head 4'7 and the projecting end is provided with a handle 53 which can be operated to throw the pawl 50 into and out of engagement with the member 43.

To hold the pawl 5G in or out of engagement with the member 43 without it being necessary for the operator to retain his hold of the handle 53, the periphery of the pivot- 51 is provided with notchesV 54 adapted to be selectively engaged by a pin 55 urged inwardly by a spring 56. The-notches 54 are positioned with reference to the pin so that when the pin is in one of said notches the pawl engages the member 43, and when the pin is in the other notch the pawl 50 is out of engagement with the member 43.

It is understood that those portions of the construction of this form of the invention not shown in Figure 5 exactly correspond with the construction shown in Figures l, 2 and 3 of the drawings as described for both forms.

In the operation of the form of the invention shown in Figures 5 to 7, the chuck 7 will be locked as hereinbefore described and the pawl 50 will be thrown out of engagement with the member 43. vUpon reciprocation of the hammer, because of the chuck being held stationary, the member 42 will be turned rst in one direction and then in the other and this is provided for by free rotation of the member 43. The. hammer. and chuckare held against rotation by the flutes -10 in the hammer and tongues 11 on the chuck. As soon as the hole has been drilled suliciently deep to prevent slipping of the drill steel from its drilling position, the operator will release the chuck 7, as hereinbefore described, and will throw the pawl 50 into engagement with the member 43 so as to lock said member against rotation. As the hammer 6 now operates in one direction it causes the member 42 to turn, by reason of slipping of the pawls 45 over the teeth 46. lVhen the hammer moves in the reverse direction, the pawls 45 catch and hold the member 42 against rotation and, consequently, the chuck and its drill steel must rotate.

When the chuck is not being rotated by the rotating mechanism, the operator may cause slight turning movement of the drill, in starting the drilling of the hole, by turning the entire machine by hand first in one direction and then in the opposite direction.

I claim: i

1. A rock drilling engine comprising a cylinder, a hammer reciprocating in the cylinder, a chuck mounted to rotate relative' to the cylinder, means to prevent relative rotation between the hammer and chuck,

.releasable means to hold the chuck against rotation, a rifle member in rotating engagement with the hammer,and means cooperating with the rifle member operable by reciprocation of the hammer when the chuck is released to effect step by steprotation of the rifle member, said means including a member operable at will to' a position permitting oscillation of the rifle member by.

lOO

Lemma able means to hold the ring against rotation. to prevent rotation of the rifle member in 10 3. A rock drilling engine comprising a one direction.

cylinder, a hammer reciprocating in the Signed at Los Angeles, California, this cylinder, a chuck mounted to rotate relative 23d day ot December, 1920.

to the cylinder, means to. prevent relative rotation between the hammer and chuck, CHARLES A. HULQUIST. releasable means to hold the chuck against Witnesses: rotation, a rifle member in rotating engage- GEORGE H. HILES,

ment with the hammer, and releasable means L. BELLE WEAVER. 

